Entrepreneurship and Small Business Advisor - Volunteer Position - Onsite in Panama • North America - 12 months
United States
Posted on Jun 3, 2026
About The Project
Calling all entrepreneurship enthusiasts and aspiring youth‑leadership facilitators! Panama’s Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) is seeking support to strengthen rural and Indigenous youth organizations interested in expanding their capacity to market and sell agricultural products.
Across the Veraguas province, rural and Indigenous youth face limited economic opportunities and significant barriers to entering local markets. Many communities depend on agriculture, yet young producers often lack the organizational skills, marketing knowledge, and confidence needed to commercialize their products. Recognizing this challenge, MIDA has identified youth integration into productive rural economies as a national priority. Through its Department of Rural Development, MIDA aims to bridge this gap by organizing youth groups, encouraging entrepreneurship, and promoting projects such as agro‑tourism, agro‑industry, food production, crafts, and cultural preservation.
As the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Advisor, you will collaborate with rural youth organizations to strengthen their marketing and ultimately increase profitability. In the short term, youth will gain practical skills to organize, plan, and promote their products more effectively. In the long term, these strengthened youth groups can boost local economies, create sustainable livelihood opportunities, and contribute to greater community stability by supporting young people to build viable futures in their own regions. Your supportive role will enable the next generation of leaders, contributing to long‑term economic resilience in Veraguas province and across Panama.
Activities
How you and the community will make an impact together:
Identify strengths, challenges, and training needs with local youth organizations.
Develop a work plan with MIDA staff outlining goals, tasks, and marketing activities.
Create a training plan focused on improving production, marketing, and value-added skills.
Facilitate workshops that build youth capacity in leadership, organization, and basic business skills.
Guide youth groups as they plan and practice marketing and value-added activities for their products
Support youth organizations in connecting with local, district, and provincial markets.
Assist groups in organizing small fairs or promotional events to sell their agricultural products.
Monitor and evaluate progress with partner institutions to strengthen long-term sustainability.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as supporting local cooperatives and helping to organize agricultural fairs.
Required Skills
Qualified candidates will have the following criteria:
Bachelor's degree in business, administration, marketing, entrepreneurship, or business education.
AND
Two or more years of experience working at a startup/social enterprise or running a small business.
Language: Spanish
APPLY BY : October 15, 2026
KNOW BY : December 1, 2026
DEPART ON : May 9, 2027
DURATION : 12 months
Calling all entrepreneurship enthusiasts and aspiring youth‑leadership facilitators! Panama’s Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) is seeking support to strengthen rural and Indigenous youth organizations interested in expanding their capacity to market and sell agricultural products.
Across the Veraguas province, rural and Indigenous youth face limited economic opportunities and significant barriers to entering local markets. Many communities depend on agriculture, yet young producers often lack the organizational skills, marketing knowledge, and confidence needed to commercialize their products. Recognizing this challenge, MIDA has identified youth integration into productive rural economies as a national priority. Through its Department of Rural Development, MIDA aims to bridge this gap by organizing youth groups, encouraging entrepreneurship, and promoting projects such as agro‑tourism, agro‑industry, food production, crafts, and cultural preservation.
As the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Advisor, you will collaborate with rural youth organizations to strengthen their marketing and ultimately increase profitability. In the short term, youth will gain practical skills to organize, plan, and promote their products more effectively. In the long term, these strengthened youth groups can boost local economies, create sustainable livelihood opportunities, and contribute to greater community stability by supporting young people to build viable futures in their own regions. Your supportive role will enable the next generation of leaders, contributing to long‑term economic resilience in Veraguas province and across Panama.
Activities
How you and the community will make an impact together:
Identify strengths, challenges, and training needs with local youth organizations.
Develop a work plan with MIDA staff outlining goals, tasks, and marketing activities.
Create a training plan focused on improving production, marketing, and value-added skills.
Facilitate workshops that build youth capacity in leadership, organization, and basic business skills.
Guide youth groups as they plan and practice marketing and value-added activities for their products
Support youth organizations in connecting with local, district, and provincial markets.
Assist groups in organizing small fairs or promotional events to sell their agricultural products.
Monitor and evaluate progress with partner institutions to strengthen long-term sustainability.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as supporting local cooperatives and helping to organize agricultural fairs.
Required Skills
Qualified candidates will have the following criteria:
Bachelor's degree in business, administration, marketing, entrepreneurship, or business education.
AND
Two or more years of experience working at a startup/social enterprise or running a small business.
Language: Spanish
- Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework in the past 8 years
- Completed college-level Elementary II Spanish semester (Elementary III in quarter system) within the past 6 years
- Score between 50-62 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam in the past 6 years
- Score Novice-High or Intermediate-Low on official American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in Spanish within the past 6 years
APPLY BY : October 15, 2026
KNOW BY : December 1, 2026
DEPART ON : May 9, 2027
DURATION : 12 months